BATON ROUGE (May 3, 2010) - Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham announced today that the special shrimp season in the remaining portion of Zone 1 and all of Zone 2 will close tomorrow at 6 p.m. Last week, Secretary Barham announced a special shrimp season in these state waters due to potential effects from the Gulf oil spill.

It is important to note that this closure is not a result of oil-effected water. LDWF biologists collected data that indicates the marketable white shrimp have been harvested and the juvenile brown shrimp remain. In an effort to preserve the smaller brown shrimp, the season has been closed.
The opening dates for the 2010 spring inshore shrimp season will be set by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission which meets this Thursday, May 6.